Library of Congress Accepting Applications for 2017 Literacy Awards

Award-winning author and literacy advocate Stephen
King helped the Library of Congress today launch its call for nominations for
the 2017Library of
Congress Literacy Awards. The annual awards support organizations working
to promote literacy, both in the United States and worldwide, and are made
possible through the generosity ofDavid
M. Rubenstein, co-founder and co-CEO ofThe Carlyle Group.

According to UNESCO, 757 million adults around the
world cannot read or write a simple sentence, and 61 million elementary-age
children are not in school.

These awards,
which were created and initiated by Rubenstein, encourage the continuing
development of innovative methods for promoting literacy and the wide
dissemination of the most effective practices. They are intended to draw public
attention to the importance of literacy and the need to promote literacy and
encourage reading.

The Library of
Congress Literacy Awards program is administered by the Library’s Center for the Book. The Librarian of
Congress will make final selection of the prizewinners with recommendations
from literacy experts on an advisory board.

Three prizes will
be awarded in 2017:

The David M. Rubenstein Prize
($150,000)is awarded for an outstanding
and measurable contribution to increasing literacy levels, to an organization
based either inside or outside the United States that has demonstrated
exceptional and sustained depth in its commitment to the advancement of
literacy.Last year’s Rubenstein prizewinner:WETA Reading Rockets

The American Prize ($50,000)is awarded for a significant and measurable contribution
to increasing literacy levels, or the national awareness of the importance of
literacy, to an organization that is based in the United States.Last year’s American prizewinner:Parent-Child Home Program

The International Prize ($50,000) is awarded for a significant and measurable contribution
to increasing literacy levels, to an organization that is based outside the
United States.Last year’s International prizewinner:Libraries
Without BordersThe
application rules and a downloadable application are available here.Applications
must be received no later than midnight on March 31, 2017, Eastern Time.